Boat Mate trailer problems Ski Nautique 200 OB

[Yeaitsslo]

Just got a 2019 boatmate trailer for a 200.

[CCPD3]

I am putting a higher end carpet on my 2018 BOATMATE trailer as there is no proposed fix for now.

 

[rockdog]

@04196 I like the idea, but the issue I have is the stern of the boat in the water is way low so when you winch up you need to physically lift the stern over the roller and winch some more, wouldn't lifting your roller up even more make it more difficult to get the stern over the roller?

 

I had the crash pads on my old CTW for my 196 and was a much easier set up.

[PatM]

@Yeaitsslo Take pictures of the trailer with and without the boat on it. Everyone here would appreciate it.

[Yeaitsslo]

https://imgur.com/a/UY9qv16 Thought they posted. Can’t seem to upload.

[PatM]

@Yeaitsslo Thanks for the pics. That is the same trailer as a lot of the people having problems. That does not have the fix to it. The newer 200 trailers are the same as the newer Ski Nautique trailer. They have a roller up front.

[Yeaitsslo]

Kinda figured it was the same. I haven’t had any issues yet. My ramp is pretty perfect for loading angle.

[CCPD3]

Had bunks redone with a 35oz carpet with a underlay on my 2018 SN 200 Boatmate trailer. This carpet is far superior that what came on the trailer. We also glued it down so it will not bunch up and tear again. I will be loading the boat back on the trailer in the next week will keep you posted. I haven't got anywhere with Boatmate and couldn't wait any longer!

[jjackkrash]

I am thinking about replacing some of the the carpet on the forward bunks of my trailer with King Starboard or something similar.

[DSP]

The season has just about passed and still no word from boat mate. Meanwhile the Fulton XLT 1400 Series winch broke from cranking the bow up over the bow stop as powering on scratches the hull.

 

My opinion so far sine 2016: Not a good design. Not a good trailer. Poor service.

[gator867]

Wanted to bump this back up to the top to see if anyone knew if there was a final fix for this. I'm looking at new boats and Boatmate appears to be the trailer of choice for Nautique dealers in my area.

[jjackkrash]

The trailer on my 2021 SN came with a keel roller for the bow that lifts it up a bit solving the issue with the bunks rubbing the gel off the chines.  I slide the boat on the trailer leaving about 2 feet to go, hook the strap, and crank the last two feet.  I am happy with the new trailer.  

[dave2ball]

@gator867 back in 2018 Ram-Lin trailers and Boatmate came to an agreement and Ram-Lin stopped building trailers for nautique. Since then Boatmate trailers have really been the only choice for most dealers. Boatmate quality is sub par compared to Ram-Lin trailers but it seems to be a forced changed.    

[gator867]

@jjackkrashthanks but I am looking at a 2023 SN 200. I have a friend that has a 2021 SN 200 and a boat mate trailer and the issue is still occurring on his boat. 
 

[jjackkrash]

1 hour ago, gator867 said:

@jjackkrashthanks but I am looking at a 2023 SN 200. I have a friend that has a 2021 SN 200 and a boat mate trailer and the issue is still occurring on his boat. 
 

its the same basic hull shape from what I understand.  Look for/ask about the roller fix.  It should work on both boats.  

Edited June 15, 2023 by jjackkrash

[dan1166]

I have been wrestling with this since 2016.  The Boatmate trailers are made of good quality, but there engineering of the support bunks stinks. Boatmate never returns phone calls because they know the problem and do not have a solution for it. Installing a center keel roller does not help.  The trailer is at the bottom of the ramp, and the boat is at water level.  The keel and roller never come in contact with each other.  I have had my spray chines repaired twice already. 

Here is what I found that seems to work.  Float the boat off the trailer. Immerse the trailer about 2 inches below the fenders.  Float the boat on as far forward as possible.  Install the winch strap to hold the boat and pull the trailer forward until the top of the fenders are 2 inches out of the water.  Then power the boat the rest of the way to the crash pad or bow stop.  Trying to winch the boat to the bow stop is impossible.  This method raises the boat to the trailer, without dragging the chines over the bunks. So far this method seems to be working.

[gator867]

Thanks @dan1166 this is what my friend with the 2021 SN 200 has begun to do after repairing his chines. He says it seems to be working. I was curious if they've fixed the issue in the newer trailers. If they have maintained the same bunk design with 3 pairs of bunks there really isn't any place to put a keel roller where it would ever contact the hull. Seems to me with this floating method that having the crash pads would make executing it much easier than having the bow roller.

[dave2ball]

@gator867. @dan1166 I have had 8 200’s. All have been on Ram-Lin trailers. 
I cannot speak for the Boatmate design for the 200 but  because of the step down hull there is no trailer that is a true drive on like the 196 and earlier.  The best thing to do is to as mentioned earlier just float the boat on to the trailer.  You can put an armor all product on front half of the carpet trailer bunks to help the boat slide on and off but beware that it may slide when on the ramp so make sure the bow is secured  when launching or coming out of the water. 

[paul]

Some info here for you: 

 

[gator867]

Thanks @paul. I did review that thread. It seems on the 2021 trailer (and maybe newer ones) they've added a 3rd set of bunks just about where that roller sits in a forward and downward facing v-config. This would make putting that roller in the location shown not possible (or totally ineffective). 

Interestingly enough though, I was speaking with someone the other day who is way more knowledgeable in this than I am about a boat and I asked him about this trailer issue. He claimed that in his opinion the issue came more from taking the boat OFF the trailer rather than putting it on. He said that if you attempted to take the boat off without having the trailer deep enough before unhooking the bow strap that when you powered the boat off it put a lot of pressure on the bow and the trailer bunks and ripped the carpet and therefore began eating into the fiberglass on the hull. He said he has owned several 200's and SN's with boatmate trailers and that as long as he was careful taking the boats off he never had an issue with tearing the bunk carpet thereby preventing the gouging of the fiberglass.

Take this for what it's worth. Just relaying what he said. I have no way to verify this. At least not yet.

[MopedMedicks]

Unfortunately, there is still no Boatmate solution for the trailer. Here is their response as of today, sounds like the decision was to “punt” on this issue:

 

 

Unfortunately we don't have a kit for that. I apologize for the inconvenience. Use the trailer as a float on/off and you won't have the chance of the boat having contact with the boards. 

 

[S1Pitts]

If I was looking at buying a used 200 that came with the boatmate trailer it would be a deal breaker. I launch and load every time I ski so I would not tolerate a poor design such as this. Thanks to all posters for the heads up.

[BSBELL]

I have a new 2024 Ski 200 on a new Boatmate trailer and ran into the issue.

I put a little tiny hair fracture on the nose from hitting the roller. Got it fixed for cheap.

I called boatmate about it with no solution. I basically have to float the boat over the trailer with someone standing at the roller to catch me from making contact if the trailer isn't low enough in the water. Then once hooked up, the boat driver has to keep the boat center holding on to one of the pylons, while the boat and trailer come out of the water slowly. 

[Mateo_Vargas]

Should be called Floatmate